Translating video games can lead to surprising linguistic innovation. When Jeremy Blaustein had to translate “現地調達” (genchi chōtatsu, local acquisitions) for Metal Gear Solid, he coined the term OSP or “on-site procurement,” a term that went on to be used by other games and continues to be used today.
Video game translation can also be politicaland controversial. In Final Fantasy X, for example, ありがとう (arigatō, thank you) was rendered in English as “I love you,” due to the special weight of the common phrase in context. While some fans hailed it as a brilliant translation, others felt the localization process had gone too far.
Other game translations have had cultural impacts for very different reasons: The now legendary meme “All your base are belong to us” stems from a simple mistranslation of a grammatically ordinary sentence: 君たちの基地は、全てCATSがいただいた (kimitachi no kichi wa, subete CATS ga itadaita, CATS [the alien cyborg villain] has obtained all of your bases).
ローカライゼーション (Rōkaraizēshon, Localization), which should be differentiated from more general 翻訳 (hon’yaku, translation), is a fraught and complex process, though its messiness is a learning opportunity for gamers and Japanese learners alike.
To understand the language of localization, you’ll need to be able to read 片仮名 (katakana) — or should we say, カタカナ. This more angular Japanese syllabic script is used for 外来語 (gairaigo), foreign loanwords imported from other languages, and is the vocabulary that largely makes up the world of games. This starts with the word for video games ビデオゲーム (bideo gēmu), but applies to most gaming terminology: ダイアログ (daiarogu, dialogue), ステータス (sutētasu, stats/status), スキル (sukiru, skills), レベル (reberu, level) and even ノンプレイアブル・キャラクター (nonpureiaburu kyarakutā, non-playable character/NPC). Since katakana is less common, it can sometimes trip up and slow down beginner Japanese readers. It takes time and patience to be able to smoothly process these pointy imps, but be well aware that they’ll likely take up most of your gaming discourse.
Of course, gaming vocabulary still has its fair share of 漢字 (kanji, Chinese characters), which can be seen in such common terms as 経験値 (keikenchi, experience points), 必殺技 (hissatsuwaza, killer/lethal move) and 状態異常 (jyōtai ijyō, status condition/abnormal status).
The process of game localization is a long one. Once a developer knows what languages they want a game translated into, they will often begin with a ローカライゼーションキット (rōkaraizēshon kitto, localization kit), which provides a guide to the video game including the content, brand voice and a 用語解説 (yōgokaisetsu, glossary of terms). ゲームをローカライズするために、翻訳家には背景が必要です (Gēmu o rōkaraizu suru tame ni, hon’yakuka niwa haikei ga hitsuyō desu, In order to localize a game, translators will require background).
Translation involves simply changing the 起点言語 (kiten gengo, source language) into the 目標言語 (mokuhyō gengo, target language). Localization, on the other hand, means adapting the product to the local culture and market. One common approach to localization is known as トランスクリエーション (toransukuriēshon, transcreation), which aims to adapt content from one language to another while maintaining tone, intent and style. 一貫性 (Ikkansei, Consistency), 口調 (kuchō, tone) and 文化感受性 (bunka kanjusei, cultural sensitivity) are all important.
一貫性のために、ローカライゼーションには用語解説が必要です (Ikkansei no tame ni, rōkaraizēshon yōgokaisetsu ga hitsuyō desu, For the sake of consistency, the localization will need a glossary of terms).
原作の口調と会うために、起点言語の理解と目標言語の雄弁が必要です (Gensaku no kuchō to au tame ni, kiten gengo no rikai to mokuhyō gengo no yuben ga hitsuyō desu, For the sake of matching the tone of the original work, [the localization will] need an understanding of the source language and fluency in the target language).
それから、文化感受性のために、ゲームのコンテンツも調整する必要があるかもしれません (Sorekara, bunka kanjusei no tame ni, gēmu no kontentsu mo chōsei suru hitsuyō ga aru kamo shiremasen, After that, for the sake of cultural sensitivity, [the localization] may need to adjust the contents of the game as well).
The world of game localization from Japanese to English hasn’t remained static. There is more translation talent and market interest in the exchange of games in both directions. Thanks to greater familiarity with Japanese culture in the West, Japanese words like ラーメン (rāmen), 居酒屋 (izakaya) and オタク (otaku), which used to require more loose translations like “noodles,” “pub” and “geek,” can now be left as they are. On the flip side, Japanese video game companies have also become more open to adapting to cultural sensitivities abroad, for example, by changing characters’ outfits.
Localizers have to grapple with challenging issues of tone and nuance. When a game character says, 私は元気！ (Watashi wa genki!, I am lively/well!), they have to look well beyond the literal words to the effect of the line: how it develops the personality of the speaker, and how it contributes to the story and a player’s enjoyment of the game. This more holistic approach could result in localizations ranging from “I’m on top of the world!” to “At least I’m alive,” factoring in 口調, 文脈 (bunmyaku, context) and 皮肉 (hiniku, irony).
Many localizers see this creativity as part of the joy of the job. In an interview for the J-EN Translations blog, game localizer Andre Echeverria recalls discovering that a character described as 陰キャ (inkya, a gloomy or loner character) perfectly fit the English world’s definition of “emo.” On a one-to-one basis, you could never translate 陰キャ as emo, but with the broader context in mind, the phrase worked perfectly. This allowed Echeverria to insert references to emo bands as fun イースター・エッグ (īsutā eggu, Easter eggs) that didn’t result in changes to the meaning, intent or atmosphere of the Japanese original.
Game localization works on the opposite of a simple one-to-one basis. 元気 doesn’t always mean “lively,” and ありがとう can very well mean “I love you.” To make matters even more complicated, what consumer audiences want isn’t necessarily a 雄弁な (yūbenna, eloquent) translation from Japanese to English. In a world where Japanese pop culture has captivated hearts and minds worldwide, some fans prefer a translation that seems 日本っぽい (Nihon-ppoi, Japan-ish). 突然、一貫性と口調と文化感受性は完全に違うものになってしまいます (Totsuzen, ikkansei to kuchō to bunkakanjyusei wa kanzen ni chigau mono ni natte shimaimasu, All of a sudden, consistency, tone and cultural sensitivity become totally different things).
Only the future can answer the question of where game localization goes. 雄弁な翻訳がいいか、日本っぽい翻訳がいいか、次のローカライゼーション世代が決めることだ (Yūbenna honyaku ga ii ka, Nihon-ppoi honyaku ga ii ka, tsugi no rōkaraizēshon sedai ga kimeru koto da, Whether fluent translations are better or Japan-esque translations are better will be something that the next generation of localization decides).